I spent many years trying to be a good Christian. I wholeheartedly thought that by acting or dressing a certain way, I would gain God’s favor. As a teenager I was often frustrated by my stupid mistakes, and felt that God would surely remove Himself from me. I lived each day with a measure of…
Our marriage does not match the one I imagined as a girl. It doesn’t even come close to comparing to the marriages I see on Facebook, or sitting in church a few rows in front of us. I know comparing gets us nowhere, but nothing about my husband is what I pictured him to be.…
Conviction and clarity can come at the strangest of times. Yesterday I was helping my toddler clean her room, which is to say I was resting on her bed and pointing out all of the things she needed to pick up and put away. As she did this, I was flipping through the tale of…
Are you in a dry spot? Do you feel like you will never reach the oasis? Maybe you are like me and get sick and tired of the uphill battle and would like a little rest. Here is the good news: after you walk through the desert, you will be changed for the better. I…
Porn is the monster that looms over us, and we pretend it’s not there. It seems to out of control and too impossible to contain, much less eradicate because it has become mainstream. It is one click away. It erodes childhoods, destroys marriages, and warps perspectives. It robs us of intimacy, trust, and peace. It…
If there are any husbands out there reading this, can I just tell you that sometimes your wife just wants to feel validated in her feelings? You don’t have to fix it. You don’t have to agree. You simply have to empathize. I realize that empathy might come easier for women, but that fact just…
Sometimes my spouse and I see things from completely different angles. So much so at times, it feels like we are each speaking a different language. The more we try to force each other to change perspectives, the more frustrated we sometimes become. Misunderstandings happen Our daughter recently had a scavenger hunt for her thirteenth…
What if I told you there was a time when my marriage was so cold and hardened that we felt nothing but bitterness and disdain for each other? At times it’s hard for me to recall those dark moments because they are so painful. I’ve had dozens of people tell me they want to end…
Heavenly Father, I ask you to surround my husband with your peace during this trying time in his life. Everything is demanding his time and attention and he feels torn in so many directions. With all of the extra distractions and frustrations in life, it is easy for him to forget how much you love…
Truth and love should go hand in hand when we communicate with our spouses. Without that powerful balance, we can run into a lot of strife. If we only speak truth, without love backing up our words, we can damage closeness. If we speak only in love without any real truth, we won’t see much…